Oklahoma spent the offseason reshaping a tight end room that needed a full reset after last year’s College Football Playoff run. Brent Venables made it clear the Sooners weren’t satisfied with simply getting there, and that led to some major changes on staff and in the roster mix.
The biggest move came when Venables moved on from longtime tight ends coach and Oklahoma alum Joe Jon Finley and replaced him with Jason Witten. The former Dallas Cowboys star, who had been coaching high school football in Texas, now steps into the role as the Sooners try to squeeze more out of a position group that has to do more than just fill space.
Oklahoma also hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in three tight ends who are expected to factor in this season: Hayden Hansen from Florida, Rocky Beers from Colorado State and Jack Van Dorselaer from Tennessee. That influx of bodies and skill sets is what has people around the program talking about a different kind of flexibility.
ESPN’s Cole Cubelic, speaking on "The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman," laid out why this group could matter so much. "That kind of versatility, running the same things that allows us to be consistent," Cubelic said.
"We don't have to run 57 plays. We can run 10 plays 57 ways, and that gives us a lot of advantages to stay consistent and build that continuity.
I don't know if there is a true grinder in that group. But I do know with Hansen you get a ton of length.
So, in the red zone, he's going to be a guy that can help you in a ton of ways."
That’s the heart of the matter for Oklahoma. The tight end spot was one of the clearest places the offense needed to improve if it was going to take another step. Now, with Witten’s background and a deeper, more varied group of transfers, the Sooners have a chance to add the kind of versatility they didn’t have a year ago.
If that room becomes dependable, it could give Oklahoma a more balanced attack and make life a lot tougher on defenses by 2026.
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Oklahoma Tight End Battle Is Suddenly One Of OUs Biggest Questions
With Jaren Kanak gone after leading Oklahoma in receiving in 2025, the Sooners are reworking one of the more interesting spots on the offense. Jason Witten, in his first season coaching the tight ends, now has a room built around two veteran transfers in redshirt seniors Rocky Beers and Hayden Hansen, each bringing prior college experience into a position that suddenly needs a new identity.
Spring practices suggested there is at least some traction to work with, but the job is still wide open and the Sooners are treating it as an honest competition rather than a settled depth chart. For a team that has leaned on the tight end in key moments, the next few months will determine whether this becomes a quiet strength or another question mark heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
New NCAA Ruling Opens A Wild Return Possibility For Former Sooners
A new NCAA eligibility ruling has created a quirky late-summer possibility for a handful of former Oklahoma players, even if the odds of seeing any of them back in college are slim. The change centers on the NCAAs new 5-for-5 rule, which trims athletes to five years of eligibility and removes the old redshirt cushion, while a federal judge also ordered the NCAA to let all Class of 2022 players who used up four seasons this spring remain eligible.
For Oklahoma fans, the practical impact is more novelty than expectation, since most of the Sooners who could theoretically benefit are already in the NFL or tied up by professional contracts. Still, the ruling opens the door just enough to make for an odd little watch item around the program, with several former Sooners at least falling into the category of players who could, in theory, come back for another college football run. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Livingstone Could Change What Oklahoma's Offense Looks Like
Oklahoma added Parker Livingstone from the transfer portal to give its offense another outside weapon, and the fit makes immediate sense. The former Texas receiver is expected to work on the perimeter, where the Sooners have been looking for more punch as they reshape the passing game around a deeper receiver room and a new look under center.
Livingstones arrival also matters beyond just this season, because his role could help define how Oklahoma wants to attack with John Mateer now and with Bowe Bentley down the road. If he settles in the way the staff hopes, he could become more than just another addition to the rotation and instead a player who helps change the way the Sooners deploy their offense going forward. [Read more 🡒]